Coffee Does Not Go to Waste In This Household

My husband is the one who made coffee a daily habit for me. Before marriage, coffee and I were acquaintances who spent some time together when I was with friends and we wanted a low-key place to hang out or I was at work and needed something to warm up my hands.

But now, it's an everyday affair. For our one-year anniversary, we even bought a new coffee maker (all glass, non-electric) that we'd seen at a coffee shop that looks like it's out of the '70s. Hippie, skippie!

And when we're done, there's usually a few tablespoons of coffee left in the pitcher. We used to just pour it down the drain, but now I know better. Those tablespoons add up, and now I collect them in a glass jar we keep in the fridge for making cold coffee on a warm summer's day. (Way better than coffee shops' "iced coffee," which ends up being watered down and only a few sips!)

But lately, I've found another use for our cold coffee collection: Soaking your feet! I'd spent a lot of time on my feet and decided to look up a recipe for a foot soak. Lots of them called for epsom salts, which we don't have. But then there were a few that recommended using coffee, because the caffeine in it brings down any swelling. I've been soaking my feet in coffee about once a week ever since!

So last night, while my husband and I sat on our couch and watched the latest episode from the John Adams series we rented from Netflix, we sat with our feet soaking in our coffee spa. It was the first time I got him to try it, and I think he's discovered yet another reason why he loves coffee, now, too!

Try it for yourself:

Simple Coffee Soak to Soothe Your Feet!

Find a large basin (we've even used a large stockpot), and fill it about 3/4 of the way with hot water. You want the water to be as hot as you can stand it, because your feet will thank you.

Pour about 1/2 cup of coffee to the water and stir. The water will be a rusty brown color, which is perfect. You really can add as much as you like, but I find that to be sufficient.

Find a comfy spot to rest in, and soak your feet until the water has cooled down. Your feet will be nice and soft and totally relaxed!

I make a coffee scrub. I add sugar and vanilla to coffee grinds, and then spread it on my face like a mask. I also spread it on my arms and legs. I would not recommend doing them all at once, because once I did all at the same time and all the caffeine made me very anxious.